Timetables : Sunshine Coast

[Fares_Fair]

In summary, I am somewhat shocked at the Sunshine Coast timetable.  
So this is the best the Queensland State Government can do for us ?

76% of ALL feedback came from the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture.
The former Transport Minister, Rachel Nolan stated in correspondence that "commuter concerns were valid."

Darra is the only big winner (from the Ipswich-Rosewood line) with only a meagre (in comparison) 17% response rate for feed-back.
Guess who's electorate includes/borders Darra ... that's right the Transport Ministers.

This government has done almost nothing to address our concerns. The only point addressed is the 5:18 Roma-5:22pm Central departure time
and early arrival times that don't impact the majority 8:30am - 5:00pm workers.
The response tonight I received from commuters coming home is "what have they done for us on the Sunshine Coast - nothing."
This from commuters on the 5:16pm train home.

Earlier arrival times have been addressed with morning arrivals at Central revised from 6:54am, 7:32am, and 8:02am to now 7:11am, 7:44am, and 8:08am respectively.
An arrival time of 8:28am at Roma Street for an 8:30am starter hasn't been addressed, it isn't even mentioned in their summary report !
They think that most CBD workers start at 8:00am.
The 2 hour gap between 7:34 and 9:26pm has been replaced by a 1.5 hour gap. and that's their improvement !

An extra service at 5:50am into the CBD is good news for early start commuters, and much needed.
We shall see if it alleviates the inordinate congestion regularly seen on the (soon to be former) 5:26am service.

From their own Feed-back and Response Report, increases in travel time concerns were resolved by making train journeys longer so that they would be more reliable time-wise !!
If you can't meet the schedule, make the train journeys longer so they aren't late - is the philosophy of the day.

Is this all they can do for the Sunshine Coast line?
The third fastest growth area of the State of Queensland (2.2% p.a. average annual growth) until 2031,
according to the Queensland Government Population Projections, 2011 Edition.

and finally, Rail buses now will only comprise 44% of the daily week-day services from Nambour to Caboolture.
Why cannot trains be provided for us on the rail network ?
"Rail is 3 times more efficient than road in using fuel to move freight" [source: Dr Phillip Laird, University of Wollongong, 2008]


My assessment of Sunshine Coast timetable is as follows.

NORTHBOUND – City to Sunshine Coast.

1.            GOOD NEWS : Afternoon departure time now more reasonable at 5:18pm from Roma Street for regular office workers. This is good news and we are grateful.
              It's an important WIN !

2.            BAD NEWS : Our journey times are now approx. 8-10 minutes longer (from current Roma Street to Nambour times) due to shortened express legs for most peak services
              exception being the 2 return daily Gympie North trains which remain express Caboolture to Bowen Hills.

3.            GOOD NEWS : There are a few more services in total, 30 per day from Nambour/Gympie North/Landsborough to Roma Street. We hope it will ease the overcrowding burden.

4.            BAD NEWS : We welcome the small reduction in Rail buses (down from 52%) – but note they still comprise 13 daily northbound services (out of 28 daily services) from Nambour
              to Roma Street. (46% of northbound services)
              There are 30 daily services if you include the Landsborough terminators. (43% Rail buses if Landsborough terminators included)


SOUTHBOUND –Sunshine Coast to City.

5.            NOT SO GOOD : Morning arrival times at Roma Street of 6:24am, 7:15am, 7:48am, 8:12am and 8:30am and 8:51am at Roma Street has made many of our days lengthier.
              This is bad news for the time we are away from our homes and families. Approx. up to 10 minutes longer per journey, this despite the Ministers assurance that
              "as far as I am aware, travel times would not be longer" in a Ch 7 news interview of 17 March.

6.            GOOD NEWS : There are more services in total, 26 per day from Nambour/Gympie North to Roma Street (up from 24 per day and 25 on Fridays)
              A disproportionate increase consdiering the government's own growth projections for the Sunshine Coast.

7.            NOT SO GOOD : Rail buses still comprise 10 daily southbound services (out of 26 daily services) from Nambour to Roma Street. (38% of southbound services)
               There are 29 daily services if you include the Landsborough terminators. (45% Rail buses if Landsborough terminators included)
              This is an overall reduction of approx 10% in Rail buses so an improvement of sorts.

8.            GOOD NEWS : We welcome the extra service in the 5am hour to relieve the constant and considerable overcrowding occurring on the former 5:26am service.

9.            GOOD NEWS : We welcome the extension of the former Cooroy service through to Gympie North.


Overall, it's a mixed bag, and definitely not a win.
I heard some angry commuters tonight who are now realising how much this government has ignored the Sunshine Coast.
Together with 15% fare hikes for the next 3 years, the pressure is building.
There WILL be a backlash, of that I am sure.

We will await the results on overcrowding once implemented on June 6 to see whether the (count on one hand) extra services to the Sunshine Coast alleviate it.

The report states that there are over 20,000 weekly seats during peak times for the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture lines.
How are these statistics created and what is the real number of new trains provided?
No-one believes this rhetoric.

The lack of time-shortened journeys and the number of Rail buses indicates the need for the duplication of the line from Beerburrum to Nambour
to improve frequency of services and encourage the use of public transport.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[BrizCommuter]

TransLink and QR are trying to, and have made a half-decent attempt to make the best out of bad infrastructure. Any hot air should be directed to the Queensland Government to rapidly improve this lacking rail infrastructure. Only then might you see better services!


Or alternately http://www.realestate.com.au/rent/in-albion,+qld+4010/list-1 

[#Metro]

Unfortunately and solemnly, we just can't extend rail to everywhere immediately.
The entire thing has snowballed to create the perfect storm.

CRR is just going to get more and more expensive I fear.
Putting train lines everywhere (Extension to GC Airport, Extension to Springfield, Extension to Ripley, Extension to Flagstone, Extension to Northshore Hamilton, Duplications of beenleigh, duplication of cleveland, duplication of sunshine coast, extension of rail to kippa ring, construction of CAMCOS, getting rid of single track on Gold Coast phew I am out of breath). Oh and the busway need to be boosted in capacity and extended to springwood and also eastern busway needs doing up..

All this costs huge amounts of money and time. Even the road projects can't all be funded- I think Kingsford Smith Drive is going to run out of funds. Infrastructure Australia is not a bottomless ATM. And have you seem the absolutely UNBELIVEABLE costs that other states have come up with for their projects!? $5 Billion for that line out to Werribee. This is what happens when you let a city sprawl everywhere- you have to build train lines everywhere at huge cost and that's before you've even focused on improving what you've already got.

The government is totally unprepared for what will happen when petrol reaches $2 per litre and carbon tax comes into force and pushes prices up. I have a strong suspicion that Sunshine Coast will not be the only line to have rail buses. In the future Cleveland Line and Gold Coast line might see them too I suspect.

[Arnz]

The government is totally unprepared for what will happen when petrol reaches $2 per litre and carbon tax comes into force and pushes prices up. I have a strong suspicion that Sunshine Coast will not be the only line to have rail buses. In the future Cleveland Line and Gold Coast line might see them too I suspect.

Current Doomben timetable has 45% of it's services operated by Railbuses atm (or more, can't remember).  Only positive out of it is they have a clockface hourly timetable with buses inbetween the hourly gaps.

[HappyTrainGuy]

What else did you expect? All I see is good news. I think they did a great job with what they have. It has to factor in something like 140 freight paths + 46 TravelTrain Services + 217 CityTrain services and then finally the maintainence each and every week. Just image trying to get all those trains through the Doomben/Pinkenba line every week  

[Fares_Fair]

I agree.
I do not hold QR responsible. They have an admirable job with what they have to work with. 
I don't know that I can even hold TRANSLink responsible, unless they are also responsible for guiding or advising on government infrastructure spending.

This is the direct responsibility of the State Government.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[ozbob]

Overall it is a start.  This is first real structural change from the bottom up in around 15 years.  The changes will allow additions as things progress and so forth.  I am still of the view that a little more service frequency can be gained on the Sunshine Coast line in time even with the present constraints.  Yes winners and losers but change has to begin somewhere.  Dwell times are increasing as loads increase, this one of the reasons for a little more fat.  Improved reliability overall. 

[ozbob]

Depending on commitments, I plan to go to Gympie North on the 6th June on the inaugural day service ...  

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Coast commuters claim small victory

Coast commuters claim small victory

6th April 2011

SUNSHINE Coast commuters can claim a small victory following today's release of the new Sunshine Coast timetable.

The new timetable, due to start 6 June, includes:

    * A commuter commencing work at 8am will now need to depart Nambour at 5.50am (previously 6am); and
    * A commuter commencing work at 8.30am will now need to depart Nambour at 6.14am (previously 6.27am).

Member for Glass House, Andrew Powell MP, said he was pleased with improvements on the draft timetable, but remains concerned the Coast commute has just become longer.

"Coast commuters have fought tooth and nail to be heard since the proposed timetable was released last year and the government appears to have listened, albeit selectively, to many of their concerns," Mr Powell said.

"The Minister has made a number of concessions including reinstating a 5.20pm outbound service and modifying some arrival times.

"At the end of the day the reduction in express services will see most commuters spending more time on their commute.

"Previously peak hour Sunshine Coast services ran express from Bowen Hills to Caboolture, that's now Northgate to Petrie, adding more than ten minutes in each direction to most commutes."

[Stillwater]

Jeff Addison, the organiser of the rail boycott on the Sunshine Coast line, was interviewed by ABC Coast Radio this afternoon about rhe inadequacies of the new timetable.  He thanked QR for listening to some of the feedback about the new timetable, but pointed out the changed stopping pattern would add to journey times.  There was a brief discussed about periodic ticketing.  A Caloundra caller spoke of a '25 year wait' for a railway to Maroochydore (NOT until 2031, but FROM the 1980s).  ABC sought an interview with the Minister or a spokesperson, but got a fairly lame departmental media statement instead, read by the ABC announcer.  It pointed out that planning and land purchases were contining for the railway and that there had been real progress on the Caboolture to Maroochydore upgrade, mamely at the southern end ot Beerburrum.  There was no mention of the timetable for the rest of the heavy rail.  Rail was mentioned a lot at the Caloundra South briefing session held last Thursday at the University of the Sunshine Coast campus.

[ozbob]

Ideally services to and from Nambour would run express Caboolture <-> CBD, perhaps with one stop.  The reality is the track infrastructure won't allow it at peak when all passenger demands are taken into account.  I was on ABC FM Coast yesterday as well and also highlighted the infrastructure deficits.  QR and TransLink have attempted to balance the timetable so that there is a balanced coverage on the entire corridor with the highest practical frequency at peak, and this does interfere with express running.   As we have highlighted many times the scandalous neglect of the line itself is the root issue.  An issue which is going to get far worse with the non-action to address it in a timely manner.

[Stillwater]

Jeff pointed out, as did you Ozbob, that QR has made the best possible fist of things (though he didn't use those exact words) and also highlighted a lack of track duplication and infrastructure for fundamental woes on the SCL.  I have been making a point of looking at the car parks at stations on the line and think I detect more cars being parked there as people hit by higher fuel costs are driving to stations to catch the train.  I would be interested in anyone's observations that are more scientific than mine.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 6th April 2011 page 5

Sunshine Coast's rail fail

[ozbob]

I am looking forward to travelling to Gympie North on the 6th June.  I hope we can reverse into Nambour station on the way ... 

[Stillwater]

Bound to happen.  It happened today with the Cooroylander and the Sunlander at Cooroy station.  Cooroylander came into view, pretty much on time (with 'Gympie North' showing on its destination board), shunted onto the passing loop and disappeared out of view to the north.  Two minutes later, the Sunlander pulled in, heading south, dropped off about 8-10 passengers, then proceeded south.  About 1.40pm, the Cooroylander backed into Cooroy on the main line.  It was an ICE set.  The guard said the ICE trains would be redeployed 'up north' in a couple of years.  Anyone know any more??

[Sunbus610]

I'm not overly surprised (and it is disappointing) as to the final outcome for Sunshine Coast and Cooloola Coast rail commuters'. It's fairly obvious these (timetable) planners' at TTA/Qld Rail have minimal understanding/insite into the travel behaviour requirements of their inter-urban commuters

[#Metro]

I don't blame the timetable planners on this one- the track limits the number of possible solutions in the real world, so I doubt if there is much choice really.

[Fares_Fair]

I agree, don't blame QR planners for State Government inaction on infrastructure.
I would love for the State Government to come out and say yes, we can do more for you long-haul, long-suffering Sunshine Coast commuters.

The evidence is there for all to see, Rail buses were able to be reduced from 52% of Nambour-Cabooolture week day services, down to 44%.
That's still an awful lot of buses masquerading (poorly) as passenger trains.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Stillwater]

As TT would say, the buses are 'non rapid rubber-tyred trains'.   

[Arnz]

Don't blame the QR/TTA timetable planners for this, they did a reasonably good job for the limited infrastructure the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture lines do have.

If anything, any blame should be directed to the state government for years of neglect on infrastructure on the North Coast Line (Which both Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast are a part of).  

I'll credit the government for "some" action (the NCL triplication to Lawnton and the Beerburrum duplication), but sorry for being a negative nancy, it's either too long inbetween projects (9 years between Lawnton Trip to Beerburrum dup), either too late, or delivered minimal benefits to what was advertised. (eg Beerburrum).

[HappyTrainGuy]

Besides allowing for a better buffer the duplication is sort of pointless until the other half has been finished where it can then be used at its full potential.

I wonder if the new timetable has fixed the morning freight path that has a minimum 20min wait for city bound passenger/traveltrains to pass.

[#Metro]

As TT would say, the buses are 'non rapid rubber-tyred trains'.

Buses can be rapid and take over the function of trains (see Springfield-Richlands Rocket), its just in this case the train runs in Class A ROW at high speed, the bus runs in Class C ROW at slower speed and random stops everywhere. That rail bus is awful with all the different patterns it has.

[ozbob]

Media release 8 April 2011

SEQ:  Sunshine Coast Line capacity constraints need urgent action

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org), a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters, has welcomed the revised passenger rail timetable for the Sunshine Coast Line, but warns that the largely single-track line is running 'at capacity', with no operational efficiency gains possible without substantial investment in track duplication north towards Nambour – something the state government now says won't happen for a further 20 years (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The frustration of Sunshine Coast commuters at the standard of their rail services culminated in a passenger boycott of trains recently and loud protests that a proposed new timetable to start on 6 June 2011 had failed to recognise their travel patterns, especially for city workers (2).

"RAIL Back On Track thanks Queensland Rail and TransLink for recognising the most glaring deficiencies in the original timetable and for altering times to better meet customer needs (3).  What we now have is near best possible scheduling of Sunshine Coast and Caboolture passenger trains, given the constraints of the most congested section of single-track railway line in Australia, north of Beerburrum."

"For passengers, this is best illustrated by the fact that more than 40 per cent of the rail services on the new schedule will not be operated by trains, but by buses travelling between stations.  We note promises from the Bligh Government for rapid trains taking about an hour from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane (4).  The reality of the new timetable is a journey time that's 10 minutes longer than the old schedule."

"The need for buses and the shunting of passenger and freight trains on the Sunshine Coast Line, coupled with slow speeds due to a steam train alignment all conspire against:

·    the Sunshine Coast Council's targets for getting people out of their cars and onto public transport

·    the state government's balanced infrastructure investment between road and rail, resulting in inaction on rail and a shifting of costs to road users on the Bruce Highway, especially freight operators

·    the federal government's freight efficiency targets and its expectations of the Sunshine Coast and North Coast lines as part of its national transport network."

"The solution is track duplication.  The state government recognised this by developing plans for dual tracks between Beerburrum and Nambour and by guaranteeing funding for the next stage to Landsborough, augmented by a CAMCOS rail spur to Caloundra by 2016 (5).  Inexplicably, the money was withdrawn and the construction schedule altered to 2031 for both the upgrade to Nambour and the heavy rail extension to the Coast.  We have a dichotomy between what the government has said it would do and what the real plans are."

"This is not good enough, especially in light of government plans for massive population expansion around Caloundra South and Glenview.  There exists a real opportunity to grow sensibly the railway towns of the Sunshine Coast as solid, established communities offering affordable housing alternatives and linked to the wider coast by bus, also to Brisbane by rail."

"Options should be pursued aggressively and in a way that lets people have a say."

"RAIL Back On Track calls for the establishment of a joint local, state and federal government working group to coordinate the responsibilities each level of government has in respect of rapid rail transport, population growth and land use planning (6)."

"Right now, all three are being looked at separately.  They need to be examined together, as a whole.

"We also look forward to the Opposition developing its Sunshine Coast transport strategy before the next state election."

References:

1. http://www.dlgp.qld.gov.au/resources/project/landsborough-nambour/mp_landsborough_nambour_rail_IAS.pdf

2. http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5472.0

3. http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/queensland-rail-timetable-changes

4. http://www.cabinet.qld.gov.au/mms/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=71317

5. http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=42417

6. http://www.dlgp.qld.gov.au/resources/project/landsborough-nambour/mp_landsborough_nambour_rail_IAS.pdf

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Maroochydore Journal 15th April 2011 page 16

Train winners and losers

[ozbob]

From the Caloundra Journal 15th April 2011 page 12

Coasters in two minds on new timetable

[somebody]

I am looking forward to travelling to Gympie North on the 6th June.  I hope we can reverse into Nambour station on the way ... 

If there is enough interest from other RailBoT members, I would be thinking of joining you for this one. Anyone else?

[ozbob]

I am looking forward to travelling to Gympie North on the 6th June.  I hope we can reverse into Nambour station on the way ... 

If there is enough interest from other RailBoT members, I would be thinking of joining you for this one. Anyone else?

Thread here for that trip, hope you come along.  Be a good day out!